223 research outputs found
The cult of Jiang Ziwen in medieval China
No full textJiang Ziwen était un fonctionnaire actif durant les années de déclin de la dynastie des Han Orientaux. Il fut tué par des bandits qu'il poursuivait du côté de Jianye, le Nankin d'aujourd'hui. Le culte de Jiang prit son essor aussitôt après sa mort. Son premier sanctuaire fut érigé sur le versant nord-ouest du mont Zhong à douze li de la capitale. Sun Quan, le souverain de Wu, conféra à Jiang un titre posthume. Graduellement, il fut promu dans le monde des esprits de marquis à roi, puis empereur, par les empereurs successifs des Six Dynasties. Il semble que Jiang était la divinité dominante de la religion populaire dans la région du Jiangnan et spécialement dans la capitale et ses environs. Bizarrement, ce culte médiéval important n'a suscité que peu d'attention chez les chercheurs. Quoique le développement de ce culte ait été tracé chronologiquement et examiné d'un point de vue d'histoire sociale, son aspect rituel resta complètement ignoré. Par un heureux hasard, plusieurs récits miraculeux recueillis dans le Soushen ji et le Youming lu suggèrent que le culte de Jiang Ziwen avait une relation étroite avec le chamanisme. En outre, ces récits littéraires sont spécialement utiles pour nous aider à cerner certains traits caractéristiques du chamanisme, tels que le culte aux victimes de mort violente, le culte à l'icône du dieu, la construction des sanctuaires, les sacrifices sanglants avec offrandes d'animaux, les performances musicales exécutées au cours du rite. Enfin, une analyse sociologique de ceux qui furent les patrons ou les rivaux de ce culte peut se faire en recourant à des ouvrages littéraires comme les zhiguai.Lin Fu-shih. The cult of Jiang Ziwen in medieval China. In: Cahiers d'Extrême-Asie, vol. 10, 1998. Culte des sites et culte des saints en Chine. pp. 357-375
An autonomous landing and charging system for drones
No full textThis electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2019Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 69-71).A sensor-equipped consumer-grade drone can help collect data about the world. However, a drone's flight time today is measured in tens of minutes. Charging multiple drones in a network also requires manual assistance. In this thesis, we develop an integrated system with an autonomous charging pad that a drone can accurately land on. At the same time, the charging system allows the drone to land in environments with low visibility, especially during the nighttime. This research combined vision-based marker detection and flight control algorithms to create accurate landing procedures with different camera modules. Two charging platform designs of wireless and wired contact charging were built with the marker. The autonomous charging system enables a drone to land more accurately than the GPS-based navigation and gets charged without human assistance.by Ziwen Jiang.M. Eng.M.Eng. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Scienc
Beyond fixed-speed pumped storage: A comprehensive evaluation of different flexible pumped storage technologies in energy systems
No full textTraditional fixed-speed pumped storage (PS) has been a reliable measure to provide power system flexibility. However, the increasing need for flexibility of power systems due to adverse environmental events and amplified utilization of renewable sources necessitates the need for modernization of PS units. This paper studies the effect of five PS technologies with different operational flexibility in Qinghai Province's energy system. Firstly, PS models considering the difference in minimum stable generation & pumping, unit efficiency, configurations of turbine & pump are established. Then, the energy mixes, planning capacity, inflow, reservoir operation curve and other data are input into the energy system model. Finally, we quantify the effects of different PS forms on the energy system based on technical, economic, and emission indicators, also identify the optimal PS considering cost preference and emission preference. Results show that the investment costs for various pumped storage technologies depend on the motor type and pump capacity. Fixed-speed pump turbine technologies have a lower cumulative power variation of up to 11,225 GWh and the largest number of start-ups in pumping conditions, at 10,857 times. Increasing operational flexibility stabilizes the reservoir water level, and enhancing pump capacity reduces net load fluctuations for ternary PS and variable-speed quaternary PS. Improving wind-solar curtailment is limited by pump capacity, generating flexibility, and reservoir water level. Systems equipped with fixed-speed PS technologies emit more than carbon emissions other PS technologies. Our research outcomes have the potential to provide valuable insights, enabling stakeholders to optimize the deployment of pumped storage flexibility in low-carbon energy systems, taking into account the energy mix and hydrological conditions that are specific to each region
GIS database for the Panjiayuan market
No full textThis research used Spatial-Temporal Behaviour Mapping (STBM) and field observation in the Paniayuan market in central Belling. Four different types of location in the market were monitored at four diferent times of day, with the vending and walking behaviours of different age groups and genders recorded and analysed.
We express our gratitude to the students who supported the data collection and created the GIS database: Bing Han, Jiaqi Yin, Kun Wu, Yuqing Du, Ying Sun, Ziyi Zhao, Shiqing Ge, Jiachun Sun, Jingwen Liang, Shuangxu Li, Chengzhang Yao, Fen Li, Mengying Gao, Jianfeng Wang, Jiaru Li, Yichen Zou, Qianqian Li, Runzi Yang, Peiyao Lv, Yupeng Li, Zhe Ji and Yufu Li
Two Styles of Game Analysis between Environmental Protection Department and Manufacturer
No full textRecommended from our members
Algebraic structures of fixed point Floer homology of Dehn twists
No full textThis dissertation discusses the algebraic structures of fixed point Floer homologies. Thedissertation is divided into three chapters, and is adapted from two joint papers by the
author. Chapter 1 gives a brief review of the fixed point Floer homology. Chapter 2 gives
a detailed computation of the product and the coproduct structures on the fixed point
Floer homology of iterations of a single Dehn twist on a surface. Chapter 3 gives a direct
verification of the closed-string mirror symmetry for nodal curves based on the computations
from Chapter 2
Repression and Cooptation in Authoritarian Judiciary: Field Experiment with Chinese Lawyers
No full textWhat we’re doing and why it matters
China’s legal profession sits at the front line of authoritarian control. Beijing alternates between the stick (detentions, licence suspensions) and the carrot (awards, patronage) to keep lawyers in line, yet we know little about which tactic actually moves behavior. This project puts the question to a causal test. We embed a 10-week, five-arm field experiment inside a commercial legal-news platform that reaches roughly 20 000 verified lawyers nationwide. Weekly newsletters frame the same set of case opportunities in one of four ways—state repression, peer (non-state) repression, state co-optation, or peer co-optation—plus a neutral control. By logging click-throughs, case uptake, group-chat joins, and attitude batteries, we observe in real time how each signal alters civic and professional engagement under autocracy.
Design:
Sample & delivery – Individual-level randomization stratified on region, gender, seniority, and specialization ensures balance. Messages go out every Monday at 10 AM CST via in-app push and SMS fallback; treatment labels are masked from both participants and implementation staff (single-blind).
Treatment frames –
Risk: warns of state surveillance and sanctions.
Peer Norm: signals social ostracism for rights work.
State-Broker: touts government-aligned “official” pro-bono channels.
Honor: highlights prestige and esteem from fellow lawyers.
Neutral: generic legal updates.
Outcomes – Primary: (A) newsletter opens, (B) uptake of politically sensitive case invitations, (C) joins of issue-based WeChat groups. Secondary: case substitution patterns, weekly decay/persistence, and post-treatment shifts in rule-of-law ideology and trust.
What we expect to find
The pre-registered hypotheses are blunt: repression—whether state or peer—should chill civic lawyering; peer-based co-optation (Honor) should boost it; state-led co-optation is predicted to fizzle. We also test whether fear drives authoritarian attitudes upward and whether esteem cues nudge rule-of-law beliefs. Finally, we look for temporal decay (carrots fade, sticks endure).
Why it’s novel
Most work treats “the state” as the sole author of control. By factorially crossing strategy (stick vs. carrot) with source (state vs. peers), we unpack how multiple actors jointly police a professional elite. The study pairs massive scale with behavioral trace data, offering unusually sharp leverage on the causal pathways of authoritarian governance. Results will inform both scholars of comparative politics and practitioners pushing for judicial independence.
Planned deliverables
We will release anonymized data, replication code, and a pre-print within six months of endline collection, subject to IRB constraints on participant confidentiality
Dysregulation in IFN-γ signaling and response: the barricade to tumor immunotherapy
No full textInterferon-gamma (IFN-γ) has been identified as a crucial factor in determining the responsiveness to immunotherapy. Produced primarily by natural killer (NK) and T cells, IFN-γ promotes activation, maturation, proliferation, cytokine expression, and effector function in immune cells, while simultaneously inducing antigen presentation, growth arrest, and apoptosis in tumor cells. However, tumor cells can hijack the IFN-γ signaling pathway to mount IFN-γ resistance: rather than increasing antigenicity and succumbing to death, tumor cells acquire stemness characteristics and express immunosuppressive molecules to defend against antitumor immunity. In this review, we summarize the potential mechanisms of IFN-γ resistance occurring at two critical stages: disrupted signal transduction along the IFNG/IFNGR/JAK/STAT pathway, or preferential expression of specific interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Elucidating the molecular mechanisms through which tumor cells develop IFN-γ resistance help identify promising therapeutic targets to improve immunotherapy, with broad application value in conjugation with targeted, antibody or cellular therapies
Repression and Cooptation in Authoritarian Judiciary: Field Experiment with Chinese Lawyers
No full textWhat we’re doing and why it matters
China’s legal profession sits at the front line of authoritarian control. Beijing alternates between the stick (detentions, licence suspensions) and the carrot (awards, patronage) to keep lawyers in line, yet we know little about which tactic actually moves behavior. This project puts the question to a causal test. We embed a 10-week, five-arm field experiment inside a commercial legal-news platform that reaches roughly 20 000 verified lawyers nationwide. Weekly newsletters frame the same set of case opportunities in one of four ways—state repression, peer (non-state) repression, state co-optation, or peer co-optation—plus a neutral control. By logging click-throughs, case uptake, group-chat joins, and attitude batteries, we observe in real time how each signal alters civic and professional engagement under autocracy.
Design:
Sample & delivery – Individual-level randomization stratified on region, gender, seniority, and specialization ensures balance. Messages go out every Monday at 10 AM CST via in-app push and SMS fallback; treatment labels are masked from both participants and implementation staff (single-blind).
Treatment frames –
Risk: warns of state surveillance and sanctions.
Peer Norm: signals social ostracism for rights work.
State-Broker: touts government-aligned “official” pro-bono channels.
Honor: highlights prestige and esteem from fellow lawyers.
Neutral: generic legal updates.
Outcomes – Primary: (A) newsletter opens, (B) uptake of politically sensitive case invitations, (C) joins of issue-based WeChat groups. Secondary: case substitution patterns, weekly decay/persistence, and post-treatment shifts in rule-of-law ideology and trust.
What we expect to find
The pre-registered hypotheses are blunt: repression—whether state or peer—should chill civic lawyering; peer-based co-optation (Honor) should boost it; state-led co-optation is predicted to fizzle. We also test whether fear drives authoritarian attitudes upward and whether esteem cues nudge rule-of-law beliefs. Finally, we look for temporal decay (carrots fade, sticks endure).
Why it’s novel
Most work treats “the state” as the sole author of control. By factorially crossing strategy (stick vs. carrot) with source (state vs. peers), we unpack how multiple actors jointly police a professional elite. The study pairs massive scale with behavioral trace data, offering unusually sharp leverage on the causal pathways of authoritarian governance. Results will inform both scholars of comparative politics and practitioners pushing for judicial independence.
Planned deliverables
We will release anonymized data, replication code, and a pre-print within six months of endline collection, subject to IRB constraints on participant confidentiality
Characteristics of R134a/R410A Cascade Heat Pump and Optimization
No full textSingle stage air source heat pump has been widely used around the world. However, it has some drawback, for example, deteriorated heating capacity and COP in cold ambient temperature. To overcome these disadvantages, cascade cycle has been suggested and shows better performance at low ambient temperature. Cascade cycle has smaller compression ratio at each cycle and shows higher compression efficiency compared to that of single stage cycle. Intermediate pressure is most critical parameter which decides the system performance. There have been many research studies about cascade heat pump system using NH3/CO2 and C3H8/CO2 as refrigerants at high and low stage, respectively. Most studies conducted on system optimization, finding the optimal intermediate pressure. However, little information has given about the experimental optimization results. In this study, AWHP (air to water heat pump), which is composed by two single stage cycle, was studied experimentally. AWHP high and low cycle adopts R134a and R410A as refrigerants, respectively, because critical temperature of R134a is higher than R410A. Since there are two single stage cycles, each cycle has a different compression ratio. In this research, by introducing numerical analysis, system optimization was studied. Characteristics of cascade cycle with respect to each compressor have been also studied. Experiment was conducted with various operating conditions; ambient temperature, water inlet temperature
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